I.a quality, property, nature, state, condition (class.; a word formed by Cicero as the translation of Gr. ποιότης; freq. only in postclass. prose), Cic. Ac. 1, 6, 24; cf.: qualitates igitur appellavi, quas ποιότητας Graeci vocant: “quod ipsum apud Graecos non est vulgi verbum, sed philosophorum,” id. ib. 1, 7, 25 sq.; cf. id. N. D. 2, 37, 94: “litoris nostri,” Col. 8, 17, 8; so, “caeli,” Quint. 5, 9, 15: “facti,” id. 7, 4, 16 et saep.— In plur.: “qualitatium differentia,” Plin. 36, 22, 44, § 159: “ager aliis qualitatibus aestimandus est,” Col. 2, 2, 17: “in verbis genera et qualitates et personas et numeros,” i. e. moods, Quint. 1, 4, 27: “pro qualitate mensurae,” Vulg. 1 Par. 28, 17: sicut in organo qualitatis sonus immutatur, the sound of the mode, or rhythm, id. Sap. 19, 17.
quālĭtas , ātis, f. qualis, III.,